Teachers make difference in student achievement

(Published Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008 in Examiner-Enterprise)

The site winners have been chosen.

Every year throughout the Bartlesville Public School District , we choose Teachers of the Year for each of our 12 sites in anticipation of the annual TOY ceremony. This year's Teacher of the Year reception is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 26, in the Fine Arts Center on the Bartlesville High School campus. During the event, which is set to start at 6 p.m., one of the site winners will be tabbed as the district's 2008 Teacher of the Year. Last year, Jennie Butterfield, a kindergarten teacher at Jane Phillips Elementary School , claimed the honor.

This year's site winners – who are in the running for the coveted district award – are Karen “Casey” Williams (kindergarten teacher at the Will Rogers Early Childhood Center), Lauri Pollock (physical education teacher at Hoover Elementary School), Stephanie Harris (special education teacher at Jane Phillips Elementary School), Stacy Gerth (fourth grade teacher at Oak Park Elementary School), Reita Adams (art teacher at Ranch Heights Elementary School), Nancy Nagele (special education teacher at Richard Kane Elementary School), Nancy Farmer (third grade teacher at Wayside Elementary School), Shelly White (fourth grade teacher at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School), Jan Brieschke (art teacher at Central Middle School), Julie Giovannetti (art teacher at Madison Middle School), Terri Bryan (science teacher at the Bartlesville Mid-High School) and Granger Meador (science teacher at Bartlesville High School).

All told, we've been celebrating Teachers of the Year within the district since 1981. And while our annual TOY event is always highly anticipated, it certainly shouldn't be the only day in which Bartlesville instructors should be made to feel special.

The fact is, as test scores continue to rise throughout the district, the biggest reason for that success is the work which is done day in and day out by our fine teachers in the classroom. Their hard work, dedication and attention to detail have helped our students reach new heights. Just last month, the Oklahoma State Department of Education recognized two of our elementary schools – Hoover and Jane Phillips – with coveted Academic Achievement Awards for their respective performances on the Academic Performance Index tests. Hoover rang up the second best API score among all students in Group 4 (buildings with a total enrollment between 346 and 505 students) with a 1,478. A score of 1,500 is perfect in the API, which grades students from grades three through five in reading and math as well as the school's overall attendance at the elementary level. Jane Phillips scored a 1,382 among all of its students, good enough for the third best show of improvement from the previous year among Group 3 (total enrollment between 236 and 345 students) schools.

Whenever schools begin to collect state awards, they are obviously doing something right. And, that hard work begins in the classroom. Within the Bartlesville Public School District , we stress differentiated instruction. That means we make every attempt to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each and every student. If they have an area in which they need more concentrated study, then we seek to give them the proper guidance and work assignments which will help propel them. We strive to ensure the learning foundation for all of our youngsters within the district is solid so they can always build upon what they already know. Proper educational skills are vitally important. We are all lifelong learners.

Oftentimes, when people are asked to mention the most influential people in their lives, the first names out of their mouths are those of teachers. In October, the district had the distinct pleasure of welcoming Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry to Bartlesville . The 26th governor in the history of the Sooner State, he took to the stage at the Fine Arts Center on the BHS campus and discussed his admiration for educators.

“Teachers really are the lifeblood of our community, of our state,” said Henry.

“What professional makes a bigger difference than a teacher? I can't think of one.”

Personally, I can't think of one either. Henry described teaching as one of the highest callings, and I believe it is. And, it makes me extremely proud to know just how hard our instructors work to ensure they are doing the best job they possibly can for the students within the Bartlesville Public School District.

One of the goals of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is to help develop professional standards that define what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. The organization administers National Board Certification, which is a voluntary assessment program that certifies educators who meet those lofty standards. National Board Certified Teachers are coveted within any school, and our district is fortunate enough to boast 29 of them. The district's NBCT class of 2008 includes Joyce Nickels (kindergarten teacher at Oak Park Elementary School ), Kelli Bryant (fifth grade teacher at Hoover Elementary School ), Sherry Langham (early childhood exceptional needs teacher at the Will Rogers Early Childhood Center ), Sandy Dossett (freshman English instructor at the Bartlesville Mid-High School ) and Farmer.